Types (Interaction Models) of E-Governance — G2C, G2B, G2G and G2E

2. Types (Interaction Models) of E-Governance — G2C, G2B, G2G and G2E

E-Governance is usually classified by who interacts with whom — that is, by the two parties on either side of the electronic exchange. Since one side is always the Government (G), the types are named by the other side. There are four widely recognised interaction models.

1. Government to Citizen (G2C). This is the interaction between the government and the ordinary citizen, and it is the most visible face of e-Governance for the common person. Its aim is to make public services available to citizens online, so they can be obtained from home or a nearby service centre instead of standing in queues at a government office. Typical G2C services include paying electricity, water and property bills; filing income tax returns; applying for birth, death, caste, income and residence certificates; booking railway tickets; checking and downloading land records; applying for a passport, driving licence or ration card; and viewing examination results. The benefit to the citizen is convenience, speed, lower cost and less need for personal contact (which also reduces the chance of corruption).

2. Government to Business (G2B). This is the interaction between the government and the business community — firms, traders, companies and other organisations. It aims to make it easier and cheaper for businesses to deal with the government and to comply with the law. Typical G2B services include online registration of a business or company; electronic filing and payment of taxes such as GST; obtaining licences, permits and clearances; online government procurement and tendering (the government buying goods and services electronically, often through an electronic marketplace); and applying for incentives or subsidies. Because most commercial dealings with the government can be done online, G2B reduces paperwork, saves time and makes the process more transparent — a topic of direct interest to you as a commerce student.

3. Government to Government (G2G). This is the interaction and exchange of information between different government bodies — between departments, between the central and state governments, or between different offices of the same department. Its aim is to improve the government's own internal efficiency and coordination. Examples include the electronic sharing of data between departments, inter-office file movement through electronic file systems, shared databases, and the linking of central and state records. G2G is less visible to the public but is the foundation on which good G2C and G2B services rest, because a citizen's service is only as fast as the government's own internal processing. …